Luke 11:13; 1 Corinthians
12:13 The
Hymn of the Day is “Come, Holy Ghost, God
and Lord”(LSB #497). This majestic hymn was written by Martin Luther,
1483-1546 and was no doubt written as a children’s hymn so that his students
could memorize and understand the 3rd Article of the Apostles’ Creed. The chief
teaching of the Christian faith - the doctrine of salvation by faith rather
than works is clearly delineated throughout the course of this great hymn. Sing
it confidently and boldly. The Holy Spirit has brought you to faith He will
continue to keep you in the one true faith.
The Hymn of the Day for
Pentecost is “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord,” LSB 497. The hymn is under
copyright, so please read the hymn from your hymnal. The text picks up on the
idea from Joel 2:28–32 (which Peter cites in the New Testament lesson) that the
Holy Spirit is poured out when it refers to God’s graces being poured out in
stanza one. The metaphor implies that the Holy Spirit is a liquid and we are
the containers that receive it. In John 7:37–38, Jesus says that the Spirit
quenches thirst, and perhaps citing Isaiah 58:11, that anyone who drinks will
overflow with rivers of living water. Thus we can understand the metaphor to
say that the Spirit of God is limitless. It doesn’t just fill us up once and
slowly drain out or get used up, but it is an overflowing life-giving river.
You might say that the grace which is poured into us, overflows to those around
us. As hoped for by Moses, God’s spirit is not just on the seventy-two elders
or the twelve apostles. It overflows from them to everyone who believes in
Christ.
The hymn text shifts, in the
later part of stanza one, to one of the Holy Spirit being light. This light is
not only something that shines on our path to guide us, but it is a light of
knowledge and truth. Light teaches us the ways of God. This is the light that
David is seeking in Psalm 25 when he asks for the Lord to lead him and teach
him. The light of the Holy Spirit gives us faith and keeps us in Christ. In the
last stanza of the hymn, the image shifts to those tongues of fire from Acts.
The Holy Spirit is called “holy Fire.” In this metaphor, fire not only provides
light, but provides heat. The heat of the “holy Fire” provides comfort as we do
the Lord’s work and endure trials. The power of the “holy Fire” prepares us and
gives strength where we are weak. God’s light and fire lead us in this life,
through death, and into new life with our ascended Lord in the new creation.[2]
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